The Dragons ALLSTARS – our successful mixed ability team – recently held a virtual awards night with a little help from some of the senior stars at Dragons.
The ALLSTARS - sponsored by New York Welsh - were established to provide opportunities to disabled and non-disabled players to play contact or non-contact rugby together.
All abilities are welcome as training sessions and games are tailored to suit everyone’s needs and abilities. Players can train from 16-years-old and play at 18.
The Dragons ALLSTARS have enjoyed another hugely successful season that has seen provision expanded with the launch of a Ladies Touch team.
And despite the Coronavirus outbreak curtailing the season, the squad recently got together to hold a special virtual awards night.
The night saw welcoming speeches from Greg Woods (WRU), Ty Francis (New York Welsh) and Dragons scrum half Luke Baldwin.
First team players Aaron Wainwright, Jared Rosser, James Benjamin, Leon Brown, Lewis Evans, Owen Jenkins and Josh Lewis then got involved to hand out awards. You can see all the presentations below!
The full list of award winners were:
- Most Improved Player - Jamie Hern
- Top Try scorer – Gareth Sullivan
- ALLSTAR of the Year - Shaun Morgan
- Players’ Player (Female) – Ceri Anne Thomas
- Players’ Player (Male) – Gary Thomas
- Coaches Most Improved Player - Jenny Sanderson
- Coaches Player of the Year – Connor Harvey
Gareth Sullivan, Dragons Community Inclusion Officer, said: “I’ve been to many, many presentation nights over the years but nothing like this!
“It was important to the New York Welsh, important to the Dragons and important to the WRU that we held it, even though we weren’t able to be together.
“Once all this is over the plan is to get together and celebrate, but we felt it was important to acknowledge not only the winners but also the camaraderie and team ethic we have.
“The season has seen us develop a new ladies team that has gone from strength to strength and they are now part of the rugby family.
“In inclusion rugby you are always there for each other. It is not always about ability or skill level; we are not defined by results. It’s about commitment and people coming together to enjoy our sport.
“Our thanks go to the WRU for their continued support, New York Welsh for continuing to back our mixed ability work so wonderfully well and, of course, the Dragons.”
Want to know more about the Dragons ALLSTARS? Click HERE for more information.
It is not always about ability or skill level; we are not defined by results... It’s about commitment and people coming together to enjoy our sport.
